Rajkot West Election 2022: Can BJP proceed its profitable streak on ex-CM Vijay Rupani’s turf?

Rajkot West, Gujarat Election 2022: The Rajkot West meeting seat is a bastion of the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) because it has by no means misplaced an election from right here since 1980. Even earlier than that, the seat was with Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP. 

Many high leaders from the saffron get together have represented this seat within the Gujarat Meeting. Amongst them are Narendra Modi, Vajubhai Vala, and Vijay Rupani. Modi gained this in February 2002 within the by-election. 

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Vajubhai Vala, now Governor of Karnataka, held this seat from 1985 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2014. After Vala was appointed as Governor in 2014, Vijay Rupani contested from right here and gained the seat twice – in 2014 and 2017. Rupani served because the chief minister from August 2016 to September 2021. He succeeded Anandiben Patel.

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Within the 2017 election, Rupani secured 60.67 per cent votes in opposition to Congress’ Indranil Rajguru who may handle solely 35.89 per cent votes. Rupani had defeated Rajguru by almost 54,00 votes – greater than the margin recorded in 2012. In 2012, Rupani gained this seat by 23, 740 margin. This time, Rupani will not be contesting the meeting election, whereas Rajguru has been fielded by the Congress from Rajkot East.

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Forward of the election, Rupani stated that he served because the chief minister for 5 years and now the duty ought to be given to new employees. He stated he will not contest the ballot and can work to make a selected candidate win.

This time, the BJP has fielded Darshita Shah from Rajkot West, who will probably be taking over Dinesh Joshi of AAP and Mansukh Kalariya of the Congress. 

Rajkot West is an meeting phase of the Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency, the place the BJP has been in energy since 1989 aside from one time period (2009-2014). For BJP, Shivlal Vekaria gained the Rajkot parliamentary seat in 1989 and 1991, after which Vallabhbhai Kathiria held this seat from 1996 to 2009. Since 2014, Mohanbhai Kundariya of the BJP has been representing the seat within the Decrease Home. 

Rajkot West will vote within the first part on December 1.